Alien Romulus Timeline Explained: When Does It Take Place In Franchise Canon?

Alien: Romulus takes place in a familiar point in the timeline in the Alien franchise.

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Posted:
Cailee Spaeny as Rain, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, Alien Xenomorph

Many fans are wondering when exactly Alien: Romulus takes place in the Alien timeline. 

Alien: Romulus expands the franchise by diving deep into an unexplored place in the vast timeline of Alien movies. 

Directed by Fede Alvarez, the horror movie's plot follows six space colonizers as they try to steal highly regulated equipment, but they encounter a horde of Xenomorphs instead. 

[ Alien Romulus: Biggest Spoilers from Plot & Ending Explained ]

When Does Alien: Romulus Take Place? Alien Timeline Explained

Cailee Spaeny as Rain against a Xenomorph in Alien: Romulus
Cailee Spaeny & Xenomorph

Alien: Romulus is set between 1979's Alien and 1986's Aliens, taking place in 2142. 

More specifically, this means that the events of the Cailee Spaeny-led flick happened 20 years after Alien and 37 years before the sequel. 

During this time, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is still in stasis somewhere in deep space as well as the original Xenomorph whom she kicked out of the air duct. 

Alien: Romulus' place in the timeline makes it a completely standalone entry since 20 years is a lot of wiggle room to expand more stories that don't interfere with the Ripley-led narratives of the franchise. 

Cailee Spaeny as Rain & Archie Renaux as Tyler in Alien: Romulus
Cailee Spaeny & Archie Renaux

The 37 years between Alien: Romulus and Aliens are a long time for exploring more of the lore within the Alien franchise.

In fact, avoiding spoilers, Alien: Romulus' ending already took a big swing by introducing a new concept that intrigued fans, and a potential sequel could further do a deep dive into it. 

Here is a quick overview of the Alien movies and the respective years they took place:

  • Prometheus - 2093
  • Alien: Covenant - 2104
  • Alien - 2122
  • Alien: Romulus - 2142
  • Aliens - 2179
  • Alien 3 - 2180
  • Alien: Resurrection - 2379

Prometheus and Alien: Covenant are prequels that explore the origins of humanity, introducing the concept of Engineers as the creators of mankind, and how a synthetic named David created early versions of alien species before ultimately ending up with the Xenomorphs.

The timeline above doesn't include the two Alien vs Predator movies (Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem) since they are considered non-canon because the events in those films contradict what was established in the rest of the franchise. 


Alien: Romulus is now playing in theaters worldwide.

Read more about Alien: Romulus:

Alien: Romulus Popcorn Buckets Guide: Where to Buy & When They’ll Release (AMC, Cinemark & Regal)

Alien: Romulus Announces Its 6 Main Actors

Alien: Romulus Gets Unsurprising Rating

- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.